The Maid and Her Princess - Chapter 34: Chapter 34

Madoka was the first to wake up on the rugs of her princess's chambers. If times were to change, Madoka still would rise earlier than Elise. She shuddered and folded her hands between her arms. Her body felt the draft of cold air whisper their chills across her skin.
Her skin was quite sore and she ached as she propped herself up. She has done more sleeping on the floor in the past month than she would care to admit. The princess's hand was on her leg, so Madoka peeled it off.
"Wi-fi!" Elise mumbled suddenly. She yawned and crumpled back on Madoka's leg. "Signal... Where is the signal? Why do I have such low bars?"
"Good morning, Elise," Madoka said, though she knew that the princess was not actually awake. Elise opened one squinted eye at her and squeezed it back shut. A snore escaped her mouth.
"What did you do to my phone?" she whined. "Give it back."
"What is a phone?" Madoka could not help but wonder aloud. Elise barely budged as Madoka poked her cheek. "Well, we can't have the princess sleeping on the floor, can we?"
Madoka unfolded her legs to stand up. With a grunt, she scooped the princess up in her arms and tucked her away in the bed. She began to quietly fold her princess's clothes and clean her chambers. Madoka was lucky Elise was quite a heavy sleeper. She also did not want to talk to Elise anyways, especially on what happened yesterday. She recalled Lord Leopride needed the two of them today, but perhaps she could stall and hide away.
Madoka smiled to herself, for those thoughts were like the princess's thoughts. Instead of lingering for too long here in her bedroom, Madoka figured the best way to stall was returning to her own room to finish her exercises. However, when she reached for the door's handle she heard a noise. The princess was stirring.
"I'm still here," the princess mumbled, her voice filled with disappointment. "In this stupid world."
"Good morning, Elise," Madoka chose to say her princess's name. The princess sat up, her eyes squinting in the sunlight. "Let's get you ready for today."
"Bah!" Elise laid back down and pulled the covers over her head. "I don't wanna, Madoka! I want to pop!"
"You cannot pop or whatever you said," Madoka sat on the bedside, waiting for the princess to make the mistake of letting the covers go. "Lord Leopride is probably waiting to speak for you."
"Let him wait longer!"
"Elise, you have nothing better to do," Madoka sighed.
"Not true!" Elise mumbled. "I have sleep to do!"
"Then tomorrow will come and I will still be here," Madoka told her pouting princess. The princess stirred again for a second as Madoka vigilantly scanned for Elise to let go of the sheets.
"You make that sound like a bad thing," Elise mumbled. She poked her head out and yawned. She peered at Madoka, her gaze held long enough to make the maid blush. "How do you look so good every morning? You don't have any makeup or tricks up your sleeve, do you?"
With that, Madoka seized the opportunity and swooped the sheets off the princess's bed. She was naked, of which Madoka was used to the sight. She apparently kicked off her attire to the back of the bed. The living tattoo wriggled its way across her shoulder blade to her arm. Elise did not even react after Madoka pulled the dress out from the crease of the bed frame.
"It's cold," Elise complained. "Maybe you can warm me up with your—"
"Up you go!" Madoka interrupted her and pulled her up. "Wearing clothes will make you warmer, you know."
"Awh, Madoka. Where's your romantic side?" Elise complained, but did not resist Madoka when she got her ready. Madoka took her readiness as a sign of things to come. She did not want to guess what the princess had in store for today but the princess explained anyway.
"Today's the day," Elise said with a sigh. What does that mean? Madoka did not ask. "We're going to do a mock battle. A duel between us, could you believe that?"
"Why?" Madoka always found the idea of fighting her princess abhorrent, but since she's been training Elise to be a better fighter she considered it to be another test of those two Lords.
"To see if we could go deeper into the woods, of course," the princess stretched her arms. Madoka realized she wanted to go to the ruins as she inspected both herself and Elise in the mirror. Madoka noted that both of their heights were similar, with Madoka being taller by a few inches. That would not make much of a difference in fighting, but if what the princess spoke about in her visions was true then they would be fighting people possibly.
Even with all her training, Madoka shuddered at actually fighting for real. She did not know how to find her resolve should the time come. The princess chuckled. Madoka gave her a quizzical look from behind her in the mirror.
"It's funny," she says, turning. "I've never even held a sword before I arrived here. It's cheesy. I truly am in a videogame. Could you go easy on me?"
"What would be the point in that?" Madoka poked Elise's head.
"Bah!" Elise pouted. "Nae waah! You're a fighter class, though! I'll have to go extra hard!"
"Remember your training," Madoka shrugged. "If we were to fight today, I can make no guarantees."
"You're no fun," Elise sighed as the two marched to the foyer where both Lord Zeron and Lord Leopride stood. They eyed each other like rivals then back at the girls.
"It's time!" Lord Zeron bellowed out a laugh. "Let's see who's precious student will win."
"You old coot," Lord Leopride crossed his arms. "The point is to see if she is ready to travel—"
"Nonsense!" Lord Zeron retorted.
Madoka bowed to them both while the princess cleared her throat.
"Bah, let's get this over with!" She stomped outside. Lord Zeron howled with laughter while Madoka silently followed Lord Leopride through the sun-filled doorway. Soon, Madoka found herself facing Elise out in the training yards. The crushed rock formations still remained behind the grounds. Lord Leopride and Lord Zeron handed them each a sword.
"Remember your breathing," Lord Leopride instructed Madoka. "She is your friend and the Princess, but do not let that stop you in your goals of protecting her."
Her heart was not into it. Lord Zeron spoke encouragement to the princess, whose grip on her sword focused.
"I won't go easy!" Elise said while Madoka said nothing. Last time she said that, her voice was not confident at all. This day, however, Madoka could tell that Elise meant it. After a small moment, Lord Zeron shouted something.
The match has begun.
The sword in the princess gleamed the sunlight in Madoka's eyes, but she was able to avoid the trick. Much to her surprise, the princess was on the offensive. Her strikes were even and refined, though Madoka blocked each one. Madoka's technique and skills were better and she could easily keep up with the princess, but she felt like something was missing. Sparks flew as their swords clashed.
Madoka finally saw Elise's eyes as their blades held against each other in a bind. Sheer determination filled her beautiful irises, her brow furrowed in concentration. Madoka felt something new. Elise's strength was rising and Madoka was losing her footing in the bind. Elise was mouthing something. A spell? Madoka reinforced her grip and pushed Elise off to get distance again. She was not sure if magic was allowed to be used but she tossed that thougt aside.
Elise was mouthing something directly to Madoka. It was not a spell, to her surprise.
"I'm sorry, but I need this," Elise said, and Madoka sensed something off. Elise was preparing an attack. Was that killing intent? "Here I come!"
The strong, negative emotion from the princess broke Madoka's concentration as the princess launched one final attack. Madoka hardly had any time to react, instead she narrowly blocked the advance. The next thing she saw was the view of her own sword flinging into the sunlight and falling somewhere nearby before she crashed to the ground.
As she lay on the ground she heard clapping. A wave of dust and emotions settled on her. Was she supposed to feel humiliated that she lost? It was not the feeling of humiliation that caused her to slip up, but the hopeless feeling that the princess was willing to kill her to achieve her goals. Madoka could not help but slowly fall back to those old questions of the night before. She was clearly hiding her true strength and Madoka could not fathom it anymore.
What was that killing intent? Madoka wondered. Dirt got in her hair and stained her clothes. It dwarfed even that of the illusory Lord Leopride's killing intent she fought that one fateful night. The flash of the princess's negative emotions was gone the moment Madoka heard footsteps approach her as she lay on the ground bewildered. Elise stood above her and extended a hand to help her maid up.
"Looks like I won!" Elise said with a smile, facing away from the two lords. "That was tough!"
"So I was right," Madoka whispered to Elise, not accepting her hand. "I am nothing but a pawn in your games."
The two eyed each other, with Elise suddenly turning pale.
"It's not like that, Madoka, I—" Elise was about to say, but Lord Zeron interrupted the two with his laughter.
"The winner is the Princess!" Lord Zeron clapped. Elise returned to her cheerful state around him, though Madoka knew that she was pretending. Lord Leopride rolled his eyes. Just what lies and truthes did the princess have?
As they headed back to the Estate, Lord Leopride gestured at Madoka to wait a bit to have a private conversation with her. As the two entered the gates, Lord Leopride spoke up.
"I am not disappointed in you, Madoka," Lord Leopride said. He stood with a certain dignity that made Madoka stare. Madoka was too busy wrapped up in her thoughts that she had forgotten that Lord Leopride wanted her to win the duel. "The winner has learnt nothing from victory. But you and your heart — they have grown stronger and will learn deeper. Be a dear to Her Highness, will you? You will have more opportunities to be better than her."
Madoka pondered if perhaps he meant other ways than battle. Perhaps she did find it upsetting that she lost the duel, but more at herself instead of at Elise's sudden and vast improvement. She would review the duel in her head later on. If she could not defeat the person she was supposed to protect in a mock battle, how could she be of use? Lord Leopride simply chuckled. It was as if he knew what she was thinking.
She wanted to ask him if he sensed the bloodlust from the princess, but she did not want to seem like she had gone mad. So Madoka nodded instead. Elise probably will explain it later, so Madoka chose to forget it. Lord Leopride smiled and gently guided her to the entrance. He refused to let her open the door for him so she went in ahead of him.
"We will celebrate the both of you tonight," he said.
"The both of us?" Madoka asked him. "Why not only her? She beat me."
"It was not about who was winning, despite what that old fool says," Leopride said with a sigh. "It's a celebration of your training's end."
"The end...? Of my training?"
"Yes, Madoka. I have no more things to teach you. Only that you continue your exercises and grow with the princess," Leopride stated as she stopped and looked at him in confusion. The twin moons hung over him in the night sky through the windows. He continued. "You should be proud of yourself. I am proud of you."
The two glanced at each other before Lord Leopride gestured towards the dining hall. To Madoka's surprise, there were several nobles and Cherish nobles gathered inside. This must be the princess's faction.
"I did my training as you taught me," Elise was explaining to Lord Zeron. Madoka entered with Lord Leopride and several maids. She bowed along with them. "Besides, I'll have you know I have done a lot of water coloring in the past. Water coloring? Oh, it's, like, super physically exhausting and grueling..."
Her voice trailed off as she saw Madoka.
"About time you two showed yourselves!" Lord Zeron laughed. He shoved a glass of wine in Leopride's paws and raised his own. "Cheers! Let us celebrate!"
Elise smiled and raised her own glass, but avoided looking at Madoka. Madoka had trouble guessing what could be going on in her princess's head, so she just remained quiet as the night went on. Later on, Madoka caught Elise walking off alone to the balcony. The very balcony she mentioned she hated. Madoka knew she wanted her to follow and it was her duty to, after all.
Elise was looking at the palace, far away yet still shining brilliantly upon the hill and nestled under the light of the twin moons. Madoka opened the glass door and stood by the entrance.
"You'll catch a cold if you stay out here for too long, princess," Madoka faked a scolding voice. The princess chuckled.
"I'm sorry for all of this, Madoka," Elise turned and faced Madoka. "Uncle Zeron thought this whole party up. As for me, hell is other people. The introvert in me gets, like, overloaded and—"
She trailed off as Madoka nonchalantly walked up next to her and leaned against the balcony's balusters.
"Did you truly want to kill me?" She asked softly. A small breeze pushed her hair in her eyes, but she did not need to see anything. Her ears yearned to hear a simple answer.
"No! I would never!" Elise said, holding a hand above her heart. "Why would you ask me that?"
The truthfulness in her princess's words spoke with conviction and that was enough for Madoka.
"I— I think I let out a lot of pent up frustration during that fight," Elise admitted with a sigh. "Nothing to do with you, but my memories of my past. And what's to come? That whole thing."
"What about your birthday?" Madoka ignored the princess's ramblings about a future.
"My... birthday?" Elise asked. "I forget that birthdays are a thing. Never lived to be fourteen years old, even in my past. Even now, Madoka, I'm simply winging everything. Who knows if you or I will live to see age fourteen anyways.... Madoka, I..."
Madoka turned and faced the princess. The wind has tossed her hair about, covering all over her face. Was she crying underneath it all? Madoka pushed it back to discover that the princess was somber looking.
"We'll just have to see," Madoka said. "The kind gods will see us through it all."
The princess did not respond to that statement for a while. Madoka did not mind the silence. In her heart, the doubts she had in her princess's motives subsided. The princess outstretched her arms.
"Dance with me?" She asked Madoka. "Like old times!"
Madoka crossed her arms.
"Please? Pretty please?" Elise pleaded with her eyes. "I don't like this balcony or men at all, but it's so rare we get to dance now—"
Madoka grabbed both of her princess's arms without another word. She was satisfied that at least if she was a pawn, the princess whom she trusted deeply did not want to throw her away needlessly like the other nobles. She will embrace the princess as she is for now. The two danced under the stars and the twin moons into the night.